Forgiveness
by wibblywobblywesteros
Summary: After Daniel Jackson's wedding, he discovers that someone is following him and his new bride. One shot.


It began right after the wedding. Daniel Jackson and his new bride Katrina were driving away. The car had been decorated by several members of the SGC. The tin cans someone had tied on the back were clanking along the road as they drove away. Kat took one look back and saw another vehicle pull off from the curb. A white van, unmarked, the driver wore a hat and sunglasses, and he seemed to be following them.

She didn't say anything about the van for a long while. Daniel was busy driving they were both busy talking, reminiscing about how they'd met in Russia, but she kept watching all the same. Daniel and Kat drove to the airport. They were taking a flight to Amsterdam for the honeymoon. Daniel parked their car and Kat watched as the van parked in another space not far away.

Daniel caught the direction of her gaze. "You saw the van back there too?" He had noticed they were being followed and had hoped to not alarm her.

Kat nodded. "Who do you think it is?" She asked, she had only a slight Russian accent.

"I don't know. You don't still have any _enemies?_" He asked her. Katrina had worked in intelligence as an analyst. There had been a leak at her office in recent years and several other analysts had been exposed and threatened. She could have someone from an old case with a grudge against her.

"I doubt it. It must be someone for you." Kat said. She knew about Daniel's work though she could not imagine why anyone would be following him in spite of the top secret nature of his job.

"Well we can't just sit here all day." Daniel said after a brief pause. "We might as well get out and see what happens."

Katrina agreed. They got out of the car and got their luggage from the trunk. They had to walk past the white van on their way inside. The driver of the van was a man who had large muscular arms but his face was hidden by a copy of _Women's Day _magazine. Daniel and Kat were thirty feet past the van when the driver got out and began to follow them on foot.

Daniel glanced back to get a look at their stalker. He stopped. "Wait… I think that's Teal'c."

Kat stopped and turned back as well but Teal'c ducked between two cars when he saw them turn.

"Teal'c, what's going on?" Daniel called out, walking back to the cars he had seen his friend hide. Except Teal'c wasn't there. "He must have gone underneath the car or something." Daniel stooped down to look underneath cars and saw no sign of him."

"It doesn't matter Daniel. I'm sure Teal'c has his reasons. Maybe this is just some strange custom of his that we aren't aware of." Kat suggested. "We need to go or we'll be late for our flight."

Daniel went with her. "I don't know...I'd like to think I'm pretty well versed in Jaffa customs and culture. I've never heard of anything to do with secretly following the bride and groom around after their wedding." He said as he walked.

They caught sight of Teal'c again as they were boarding their flight. He was in line and apparently boarding as well.

"Is he going to follow us all the way to Amsterdam?" Kat asked, slightly worried now.

"I'll go talk to him." Daniel push back through the line to where Teal'c was standing, still hidden behind his issue of _Women's Day. _"Teal'c?"

"Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said in reply.

"What are you doing?" Daniel asked him almost warily.

"I am taking a vacation Daniel Jackson."

"In Amsterdam?"

"I have heard that Amsterdam has many cultural attractions in architecture and history and that it is a fascinating place to visit." Teal'c said.

"Yes, I'm sure that's true. That was half the reason that I chose it for my honeymoon. Doesn't it seem strange that your vacation happens to be the same location as my honeymoon?"

Teal'c frowned. "I did not think it strange."

"Is there a reason that you're following me?" Daniel was trying not to get frustrated and not fully succeeding.

"I am not following you. I am simply travelling in the same direction."

"Uh-huh." Daniel crossed his arms and walked away from Teal'c and back to Kat. "I guess he's following us but he's pretending he's not." Daniel told her.

"You couldn't convince him to stay?" She asked.

"It's a free country. And it looks like he's already bought the plane ticket. Maybe he really is just taking a vacation." Daniel said.

On the plane, Teal'c sat three rows behind Daniel and Katrina. He didn't talk to them. He mostly remained hidden behind his copy of _Twilight. _After they arrived in Amsterdam, they lost track of Teal'c somewhere at the airport. It looked like he really was just taking a vacation. As they headed to their hotel room, keycard in hand, Daniel saw a familiar figure in the hallway ahead of them. Teal'c was entering the room across from his own.

Daniel hurried down the hallway. "Teal'c!" But Teal'c ducked into his room before Daniel could reach him. "I don't get it." He said, turning to Kat.

"He is acting very strangely." Kat agreed.

They had no sooner entered their room when a knock sounded at their door. Kat opened it to find Teal'c standing on the other side.

"I apologize for not speaking to you earlier Daniel Jackson. I had hoped you would not notice my presence in this hotel or believe that I intended to interrupt your festivities. But I have realized that since you aware of my presence it is only fair to make amends for my rude behavior."

"Fine Teal'c, you're forgiven, but only if you pretend we aren't here for the rest of the time. You don't see us, and we won't see you." Daniel said, irritated.

Teal'c nodded.

"Good night Teal'c." Kat said, gently closing the door.

The door hadn't even fully latched shot before there was another knock.

"What now?" Daniel could hardly hide his frustration.

"I am curious to know if this room is exactly the same as my own. Might I have a tour?" Teal'c asked.

"You want to tour our room?" Daniel was on the verge of saying no, absolutely not. He had never been this frustrated with Teal'c before. He'd been angry with Jack lots of times. But never with Teal'c.

"Come in Teal'c" Kat answered for him.

But Teal'c didn't just take a look around the rooms of the suite (bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette, mini bar) he looked under the bed, behind the drapes, in the hot tub, on top of the kitchen cabinet, and even inside the plant pots. Daniel and Kat watched him, utterly confused as to what he was up to.

"Thank you Daniel and Katrina Jackson. I bid you good night." Teal'c said with a small bow, then he left them.

The next morning they left their room with plans to see the Anne Frank house and the Rembrandt House Museum. They were getting ready to enter the Anne Frank house when they saw him, Teal'c, behind them in line and wearing a very poor disguise of a baseball cap and aviator sunglasses.

Daniel moved to go speak to him but Kat caught his arm. "Don't. Just try ignoring him and maybe he'll go away."

But he didn't go away. Teal'c continued to follow the couple to all of their destinations. He didn't approach them or try to speak to them, he simply followed them and even seemed to be watching them from behind a book or magazine most of the time. Somehow Teal'c even managed to get a seat two tables over from them in a packed popular restaurant.

When they arrived back at their room that evening, Teal'c was waiting for them in the hallway. "I believe I am out of towels Daniel Jackson. Might I borrow one of yours?" He asked them.

"Teal'c you can just call room service for towels." Daniel said, pushing past Teal'c and swiping his key card.

"I'm afraid I can not. I must enter your room and borrow one of your towels." Teal'c insisted.

"Why?" Daniel asked him.

Kat put her hand on Daniel's arm. "Just let him have it. What can it hurt?"

"Fine." Daniel said, arms crossed. Kat pushed the door open and Teal'c went inside. he checked the entire room as he had the previous day, looking under the bed and behind the drapes before taking his towel and leaving.

Late the next morning Kat stepped into the shower and noticed a spider in the tub. She screamed. It was involuntary reaction as it was a rather large spider. She composed herself and squashed it with the bottom of the shampoo bottle. Seconds later someone was pounding on the door. Daniel heard the noise but he wasn't in any hurry to answer as he wasn't dressed. By the time he had reached his robe, the door was broken down and Teal'c stood in the doorway wild eyed.

"What the hell are you doing Teal'c?" Daniel demanded. He'd had about about enough of this.

"I heard a woman scream."

"My wife screamed over a spider and you break down the door? You need to tell me what's going on? Why are you here, following me.?" Daniel insisted on knowing.

Teal'c sighed. "I am not following you Daniel Jackson."

"Right. You just happen to be taking a vacation in the same place. Go home Teal'c or at least go find a new hotel and a different itinerary." Daniel told him.

"I'm afraid I can not." Teal'c said.

"You can not? The hotel will give you your money back if that's the problem…."

"The problem is not a financial one. It is more of a moral dilemma. I can not leave or might fail you again Daniel Jackson. It is because of my actions that your first wife was lost to you. As such I hold myself responsible for the welfare of Katrina. I am following _her. _I will not allow any harm to come to her. If I leave this place I can no longer offer my protection." Teal'c said.

Daniel was stunned. "Teal'c, I never expected you to appoint yourself as my wife's bodyguard. You don't owe me anything. I don't blame you for what happened…"

"It is I, who holds myself responsible. I can not leave. I will maintain my distance from the two of you, I only ask that you allow me to check your room before you enter it each evening."

Daniel sighed. "I guess if it makes you feel better…"

"It will indeed,"

Teal'c kept his distance from them after that as promised. He only spoke to them in the evening when he went to check their room for possible intruders. They both tried on several occasions to convince him that not only was he not responsible for Katrina's welfare, that she wasn't truly in any danger. Earth was not nearly as dangerous a place as Chulak. Nothing they said could convince him. Even after they returned home from the honeymoon, Teal'c continued to stay near them. He moved into an apartment in Daniel's building and gave them a two way radio so that Kat could reach him at any time when they were all at home. He had a cell phone, but he insisted that the radio would be faster than dialing a cell phone number should an emergency arrive. Again, they tried to persuade him that it wasn't necessary but to no avail.

In time, they almost grew used to Teal'c as Kat's bodyguard. Whenever she went shopping alone, Teal'c followed at a distance. Once he saved her from a mugging. Another time he helped her change a flat tire on her car. Daniel and Kat invited him over to play cards once a week. They liked having his company but both felt a little guilty for how much effort he put into Kat's safety.

Five months into Kat's pregnancy, she was put on bedrest. Though he remained as stoic as ever, Teal'c was worried. This was a threat that he could not protect her from. He paced the hallway between their apartments for hours the night that the doctor gave the order. Daniel came out at 3 AM to talk to him.

"Teal'c you need to get some sleep." He said, looking quite tired himself.

"I can not." He said and continued walking.

Daniel grabbed his arm. "She's not going to die Teal'c. She just has to rest so the baby can grow properly. Everything is going to be fine."

"Women die in childbirth every day, on this world and many others. You can not know that she will be fine." Teal'c insisted.

"You're right. I can't know. None of us can know anything at all about the future. It's impossible to protect her from everything. All we can do is take it one day at a time and be happy with what we have today." Daniel said.

"Perhaps you are correct." Teal'c seemed to be thinking over Daniel's words.

"I know I am. And I know you need to stop this obsession you have with keeping Kat alive. I'm happy to have you as a neighbor Teal'c and it doesn't hurt to have someone else looking out for her, but you aren't a god. You can't save her from everything and I don't expect you to." Daniel said.

For the first time, in many months, Daniel's words finally seemed to reach his friend. "Are you saying that I am forgiven, Daniel Jackson?"

"Of course you're forgiven." Daniel hadn't realized until now that _this _was what Teal'c needed to hear. "Teal'c, I forgive you."

"I thank you, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said and turned to go back to his apartment but Daniel thought he saw the faintest hint of tears in the Jaffa warrior's eyes.


End file.
